When it comes to looking out for talented footballers from the far-flung corners of the country, most veterans in the sport reckon that one major area that remains largely untapped for football administrators is the tribal section. And those who hold this opinion include Maidan bigwigs like PK Banerjee and Amal Dutta. And despite repeated calls for tapping talented young guns from the country’s tribal pockets, the Indian Football Association (IFA) is yet to wake up to the reality.

There are two men who are swimming against the tide though. Baidyanath Mandi and Anirban Dhar, who are based out of Bankura, are going about tapping youngsters from the district’s tribal belts.

For the last one year or so, the duo has been working tirelessly to fulfilling an audacious dream — setting up a residential football coaching school in Bankura’s Kalpathar village. The aim is to groom a pool of talented footballers from the district’s tribal youth.

If things go according to plans for Mandi and Dhar, then the academy for the Bankura tribals could come up as early as the middle of next year. The process is already in place, with a ground earmarked for the project by the local Panchayat officials.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dhar said: “Kalpathar village already has a separate cultural forum comprising only tribals. Our proposed football academy is fitting well with this forum. We have shortlisted a number of enthusiastic youngsters, mostly aged around 14 years. We have also zeroed in on a local coach. Once the ground is ready, the boys will begin training. A multi-storied building will be built where selected tribals boys will be put up from various villages across the district. The kids will also be accommodated into local schools.”

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